DVD Shopping Bag: Star Trek The Next Generation Season 2 Blu-ray

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DVD Shopping Bag: Star Trek The Next Generation Season 2 Blu-ray

CBS and Paramount have released the second season of Star Trek the Next Generation on Blu-ray. The sophomore effort of the series does take its tumbles from time to time. Overall, the second year of their continuing mission has a lot of fun and peril mixed in with old school television. By throwbacks, I mean the way in which the show was constructed. Many of the early episodes of this season leave little in the way of lasting effects on the series. They are simply morality tales with nothing reaching further into mythos. The original Trek show was like that and outside of a uniform change, it is still difficult to know when certain episodes take place. There are two big changes to Star Trek the Next Generation this season and they have nothing to do with Riker’s beard.

1. Goodbye, Crusher. Hello, Pulaski

Gates McFadden left the show for a variety of reasons. The producers found a replacement in Star Trek veteran Diana Muldaur. Muldaur appeared on the original series as both Ann Mulhall and Dr. Miranda Jones. In the second season, she would play a whole new character, yet portray her as an homage to DeForest Kelly’s Bones. On a whole, she was ten times the character that Beverly Crusher was. She was both flawed and practical where Crusher just observed and healed. What irked me in watching this season again was the underlined affection she had for Patrick Stewart’s Captain Picard. It’s hinted at, but never really touched upon. Then, before you know it, she is gone with only a brief mention in season 3. It was a wasted opportunity and something that could have affected Crusher and Picard’s relationship down the road.

2. TV and Times Were Changing

The second season opened and closed with little fanfare. Again, this was a sign of the times. We open with a Troi episode, “The Child” and close with what I liken to a Family Ties episode that features nothing but flashbacks. The seasonal highlight is “Q Who?”. Not only do we get a recurring character in John de Lancie, but the introduction to the Borg, as well. The Borg alone would shape Trek mythos for years/ shows to come. After the Borg arrived, everything matters in terms of watching. Every episode to this point was an opened and closed book. From “Q Who?” onward, you had to leave a book mark at one episode and perhaps take some notes at another. This was the beginning of episodic television and, though infantile in its gestation, it is a wondrous thing to watch. Trek never ended on a flashback episode again after season 2.

The Measure of Man Extended Episode

CBS and Paramount have assembled a special edition of this seminal episode. “The Measure of Man” put Data’s (Brent Spiner) status on trial. Does he have rights as a being or is he the property of Starfleet? There is nothing short of brilliance in both the acting and writing. What is so fascinating is what was cut out of the episode. Week after week, early on, the crew of the Enterprise was given very little in the terms of character development. By that, I mean personal traits and quirks. Sure, there were interruptions where we would get a peak of something, but it never had any weight. There are two scenes, here, that should have never been cut. The first is Picard’s initial meeting with the Starbase’s JAG Officer (Amanda McBroom). We get a broader sense of just how personal their relationship was. The second scene is when Picard asks Data about himself. Both Spiner and Stewart play the scene beautifully. One doesn’t understand the question and the other is uncomfortable getting the answers. One can only hope there are more deleted scenes out there for the next couple of releases.

Roundtable Cast Reunion

This year does mark the 25th anniversary of the show airing on television. This roundtable interview is a great insight into the cast and the family aspect in which they hold themselves. This is the core group, including Wil Wheaton (who makes everyone shudder with the mention of his 40th birthday next year). It is only a hour, but you’ll wish there was more when all is said and done.

Season 3 on Blu-ray

It is in the works and a trailer for it is on this Blu-ray set. I challenge you not to hop right into season 3 when you are done watching these beautiful Blu-rays (currently on Netflix). Certainly, the picture quality here is unmatched as you’ll marvel at the special effects, the coloring in Riker’s beard, the crazy eyebrow hair on Stewart, and how most of the make up holds up. I, for one, did not expect to sign up again for another trip with the next generation. It’s nice to know that something you loved as a child can still hold up and matter to you as an adult. Star Trek the Next Generation does that.

COMMENTS AND RESPONSES

The second season was badly mauled by a writer's strike, which is why so many of it's epsiodes feel like they're just filler. "The Child" was actually a revamped script from the unmade Star Trek II series, in which it was Ilia who becamne pregnant! I am always amazed that after this slapped together kimish-kimosh of a season, following the awesomely PC first season, that the show manged to survive to reach the glory that is the third season. the third season was easily Next Gen's finest and arguably the best seaon of any Star Trek period.

Bob, Gates didn't leave the show because of a baby. It was explained in the behind-the-scenes they showed at the theatrical screenings last week (that I assumed were also on this blu-ray) that she was in fact fired from TNG after the first season. Patrick Stewart and I believe Rick Berman, talked about this in the special feature.

Gates was apparently very vocal backstage that she thought the writing was sexist and voiced her disapproval and her and Stewart demanded changes to certain scripts, which eventually lead to her firing.

I was surprised to hear this as I had always thought/heard she got a bit of an ago during season one and thought she was too big for Trek and wanted to take on bigger, better roles, so she quit.